


Swimming In Stars

by definition_of_desperation, WarriorHeart



Category: The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: M/M, More tags to be added, dirty references but it's not that bad, it depends on if this goes from a oneshot to a story whoops, post-TLNM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 08:30:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13713867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/definition_of_desperation/pseuds/definition_of_desperation, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarriorHeart/pseuds/WarriorHeart
Summary: Cheerleaders are required to exercise outside of school and practice. Chen has chosen swimming as his workout method, since the school has a pool open to students.Of course, he never expects to see who he finds there one day.





	Swimming In Stars

**Author's Note:**

> 1 - this is a friend of the account owner until i get my own account  
> 2 - i am guilty of being dragged into this ship and i am disappointed there are not more fanfics for them so here we are.  
> Enjoy!

Chen was officially done with everyone swarming him after routines and encouraging him to join their teams. He had just come from a meeting with several college staff talking about scholarships and the like. He wasn't even done with junior year, for god's sake. 

It was eerie walking down the school halls and seeing no one there. Normally, being one of the more popular cheerleaders, Chen was used to being swarmed and walking down the halls with a large group of fans around him. This time, though, he was thankful for the peace and quiet. All he wanted to do was swim and relax after all this. Thus, he let his feet guide him to the locker rooms below the gym and outdoor track, changing while humming to himself. He could hear the thumps and screech of rubber on polished wood from the basketball game taking place upstairs. Thankfully, the locker rooms were always empty after school; those in sports went right to practice and everyone else either attended games or went home early.

Despite having been doing this for several months now, every day the pool was available after school and he didn't have practice, it was still a bit lonely to be changing in here all alone.

 _No matter. It's better than having to suffer through all the girls squealing over various guys in various sports._ He had made that mistake once and never went to a game unless required again.

He left his towel hanging on a rung next to one of the shower stalls, heading up the steps to the pool deck. His headache from the earlier meeting was getting better, but not quickly enough. There was a faint throb behind his temples that seemed to beat alongside the music-

Wait.

What music?

He couldn't climb the last few stairs fast enough, bursting out onto the pool deck. Soft music - unlike most teenage choices - was playing from a phone and speaker nearby. Soft splashes brought his attention to the pool very quickly.

One reason he loved swimming alone here was that one, most kids went to the beach if they wanted to swim outside of school, and two, one could control the lighting after school hours to make it all the more relaxing. The lights were on the setting Chen would normally choose - the main, brighter lights were off, and small, softly glowing ones had flickered on. They dimmed and brightened in random patterns, and the reflection on the pool - the water of which was always dark with minimal lights - made one feel as if they were swimming among stars.

While normally the water would be still and the pool empty, Chen found himself mildly annoyed to see someone else already swimming. They were doing slow, almost lazy laps down the length of the pool in a backstroke. The form was perfect, unlike most students who attempted it and had limbs going every which way. He squinted against the darker lighting, trying to figure out who it was. He knew most, if not all the male athletes in the school, which confused him at the moment - the teen was fairly toned; a swimmer's body, he noted, and there was an underlying power to each movement. It was clear whoever this was wasn't using even a quarter of their power.

(This was when Chen thanked whatever being in the sky there was that his swim trunks were loose. This was _also_ another reason he attended few games and left early.)

He moved closer to the edge of the pool, squatting down as the teen made his way back to Chen's end. He noticed blond hair and moderately tanned skin. It took a moment for Chen to recognize the face, but when he did, he shot up in shock... and then slipped and fell into the water with a yelp.

He could feel the water ripple as Lloyd reacted, quickly grabbing his arm and pulling him to the surface. The brunette coughed a few times, blinking away the water that had gotten into his eyes. When his gaze focused, his eyes locked with hazel, and he could see the emotions clear as day on the blond's face. Concern, confusion, then recognition and slight fear. He quickly backed away, bumping into the wall of the pool in an attempt to get away from Chen. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you-"

"No, no, it's fine," Chen rushed, mentally smacking himself. He had been trying to find a way to apologize to Lloyd for the past two months, ever since he had been revealed as the green ninja. Unfortunately, he was one in a whole school, and he knew his apology would sound fake and just an attempt to gain the fame of being the green ninja's friend.

In truth, he had never really wanted to bully Lloyd like he had. He'd actually pitied and admired him in the background; having to deal with so much every day and still keeping his chin up, still even coming to school... It took guts. Just like apologizing did.

And Chen did not have those guts.

So, instead, he gave a half fib. "I was- uh- I was kinda hoping to catch you, actually...? Y-Yeah! I, um-"

"Save it," Lloyd sighed, brushing his hair from his forehead. "I've heard the same apology over three hundred times, now-"

Chen cleared his throat gently, cutting the blond off.

"Actually... As much as I want to apologize, I know it'll sound fake and desperate and I'll never be forgiven... So... Do you wanna swim for a while?"

He had to resist a laugh at how _fucking adorable_ Lloyd looked when he was confused.

"....You... Just want to.... swim...?"

"Yeah. Cheerleaders have to do some sort of exercise outside of the gym in school and rehearsals, so I swim a lot."

Lloyd gave a soft, hesitant hum. "I used to swim all the time with mom before dad started attacking the city so much... I still did it quite a bit, mostly when I couldn't sleep or during summer nights. It's hard to swim at the beach now, though, so I swim here every other day..."

Chen tilted his head a bit, then gave a slight grin. "Race ya." And without giving Lloyd time to react, he pushed off from the wall, shooting through the water. He could hear the blond's yelp of confusion and the splash as he quickly followed. He went with the standard front stroke, but as he noticed Lloyd getting closer, he lost a bit of momentum. How was he so _fast?_

Unlike Chen, who had started moving his arms and legs right away, Lloyd had stayed under the water for longer, torpedoing through the pool with the momentum of kicking off. He was well past the halfway point of the pool when he surfaced, just a few inches behind Chen. He blocked everything out, just focusing on breathing and keeping his form. In the corner of his eye, he saw Chen slow a bit, his pace hitching with the surprise of seeing Lloyd so close. In an instant, the blond was in front of him, aiming a well-timed kick at the water and sending a splash into Chen's face.

He grinned mentally when he heard the sputter of surprise ad the flailing as Chen tried to regain his vision. By the time the brunette had recovered, he had reached the far wall, kicking off again.

He'd never be able to say how much he loved swimming. It made him feel free, like he could go anywhere. Like he was flying, almost. Once you were able to figure out how to swim efficiently, you could go fast and far with little energy.

He was waiting for Chen with a grin when the brunette managed to make his way back, playfully sticking his tongue out as he finally tapped the wall to signal he was done. "No fair."

"Yes fair. You said race, but you didn't give any rules," Lloyd hummed, grin widening smugly. With a huff, Chen pulled himself up onto the edge of the pool, sitting with his feet in the water. Lloyd pushed off from the wall, mimicking how an otter swam on its back lazily and swimming circles nearby.

"How did you do the wall thing?"

"Lots of practice," Lloyd hummed. "You have to build a lot of strength in your legs to get enough momentum, and then you have to have perfect control over your body to create as little resistance as possible. And you have to have plenty of air before you go, otherwise, you might panic and surface too early."

Chen hid a smile. It was fun to see Lloyd in his natural comfort zone and see him ramble like this. "Can you teach me?"

Lloyd paused, looking over at him curiously. Then, he shrugged. "Sure. Get down here, ya dork. You can't swim from the side."

"I can tr- WAH-"

He really didn't have time to react as Lloyd grabbed his ankle and pulled him into the water. When he surfaced, the blond was giggling.

"Step one: get into the pool completed!"

"Oh, hush, you."

-

After half an hour of practicing with Lloyd swimming alongside him to correct his form now and again, the two were relaxing, just swimming any which direction as they talked. It went to anything - Lloyd's training as a ninja, incidents Chen had had as a lead cheerleader, best moments from both groups of friends, and so on. After a while, they fell quiet, just swimming next to each other and watching the lights above them flicker.

It was Lloyd that spoke first, softly. "Chen... Thank you."

The brunette twisted his head, looking at the blond beside him. A soft smile curved his lips upwards, and his eyes reflected the lights above them. "For what?"

"For not making a huge deal of an apology... You were casual about it, and you picked up on a lot of things very quickly, unlike some people. For instance, you challenged me to a race without having definite proof you'd win. You caught me when I was relaxed instead of pretending to be... And you proved that you want to be friends with me, not Lloyd the Green Ninja."

"Of course I do," Chen said softly, shifting to rest the tips of his toes on the bottom of the pool. Lloyd, being the shorter by at least half a head, had to tread water to stay next to him. "Honestly... I always felt bad for mocking you. I just... Cheerleading is the one thing I'm good at. When I first started, no one thought I would keep going for as long as I did. They all thought I would drop out... Not many people notice it, but the football team mocks me for it, too. The number of times I've been catcalled or... other things..." Chen gave a soft sigh, shaking his head. "The others fixed that. They hung around me, kept the footballers from getting too close or going too far. By the time I realized all of them were certified assholes, they were my only friends... Everyone else either wanted to be my friend for the fame or wanted to avoid me for being popular. I was forced into someone I didn't want to be..."

He looked down at the water, watching it sparkle as the ripples bouncing off his chest created dozens of new, tiny lights. "That's why I swim... I can be myself without anyone else saying I have to do this or be a jerk to them or anything... Even at home, my parents always say I should focus on scholarships and college, but I don't want any of that... I don't care about fame, I don't care about being known across the continent as the best male cheerleader."

"...What do you want to do...?"

"I... I don't know. I was a loner before joining cheerleading, and after that, I've never had the chance to try anything else..."

"Well..." Lloyd gave a hum, swimming closer. "Let's start with swimming, and we can work out way out. Alright?"

Chen stared at him in surprise. After being so horrible to him, after pushing him down so he could be on top, Lloyd wanted to not only be his friend but help him find out what he wanted to do.

He couldn't stop himself from pressing their lips together.

He could hear Lloyd squeak in surprise, he could feel his face heat up, but the blond didn't pull away. Granted, nor did he kiss back, but it was better than being slapped.

He pulled away a few moments later, face burning mostly with shame as he quickly swam back. "I- I'm sorry, I don't- I wasn't thinking.."

Lloyd gave no reply, and he quickly turned, swimming to the edge of the pool before the blond could see him cry.

"C-Chen, wait, please-"

He was already going down the stairs by the time that Lloyd followed him. He could hear the blond quickly get out of the water, abandoning his phone in favor of following the brunette. By the time he slid into his shower stall and turned the water on as hot as it would go, the blond wasn't far behind, having just gotten down the stairs.

"Chen, please, let me talk," Lloyd pleaded, trying to open the stall door. Most of the guys ignored them, but they were there if anyone ever wanted privacy. They couldn't be locked, though, for security reasons, in case any student ever tried to harm themselves.

Apparently, Chen was holding the door closed, because it wasn't opening.

"Chen," Lloyd tried, pushing against the door and pulling at the handle. "Chen, please, open the door and let me talk..."

"There's nothing to talk about. I was an idiot, just forget it."

"No, you weren't. You didn't give me time to react."

"I didn't have to. You should have slapped me."

Lloyd managed to get the door open enough to slip inside, instantly yelping at the heat of the shower. Chen was slumped against the stall door, face in his hands. His skin was already turning a raw pink, and Lloyd was quick to turn the heat down. He took a breath, turning back to Chen and speaking quietly.

"Chen, the last time I was in a situation like that, it was against my will. I had to remind myself it was you and not... not him. Please, look at me..."

When Chen refused, Lloyd gently pried his hands from his face and tilted the brunette's chin up so he would meet his gaze, wiping away the tears from his cheeks with a soft hand. He offered Chen a smile before leaning in, locking the two of them in a kiss once more.

He pulled away when he needed air. Despite his earlier self-hate, there was now a spark of playfulness in Chen's eyes. "Trying to one-up me, eh?"

"Huh-?" Lloyd yelped in surprise as Chen turned them around, pinning the blond against the door and pressing a determined kiss to his lips again. He had to hold back a laugh at the challenge, giving a hum as his eyes slipped shut.

This would be an interesting day indeed.


End file.
